With 1,002,151 people declaring Hungarian ethnicity in the 2021 census (held in 2022), Romania’s Hungarian community is by far the largest outside Hungary. Most live in Transylvania, with the largest concentration in Székely Land (Székelyföld) in the east.
Political representation
The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ/UDMR), led by Hunor Kelemen, has represented the community in the Romanian parliament since 1990 and has repeatedly served in coalition governments. It is again part of Romania’s governing coalition.
After Hungary’s April 2026 election, Prime Minister Péter Magyar met Kelemen on April 21, 2026. He said the acquired rights of Hungarians in Transylvania, including their right to vote in Hungarian elections as dual citizens, would continue to be respected, and announced a review of how Hungarian government support for Transylvania had been spent over the past decade.
Continuing concerns
- Minority protection: In April 2026 RMDSZ presented a report to the Council of Europe in Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) arguing that Romania still needs to do more to meet its minority-protection commitments.
- Political rhetoric: In March 2026 remarks by a Romanian MP directed at an RMDSZ colleague in parliament’s foreign affairs committee were referred to Romania’s National Council for Combating Discrimination.
- Church property: The return of church properties confiscated under communism, many of them belonging to Hungarian churches, remains unfinished. AHF has raised this issue for many years (see our earlier coverage).
- Autonomy: Calls for territorial autonomy for Székely Land remain a recurring theme in community politics.